Joseph Luzzi

Joseph Luzzi is a scholar, author, and cultural commentator whose work connects academia with public intellectual life. He holds the Asher B. Edelman Professorship in Literature at Bard College, where he teaches courses on film and Italian studies. Luzzi received his doctorate from Yale and is the author of eight books. His areas of specialization include Dante, Italian and European Romanticism, Italian film, modern European literature, modern Italian culture and society, and the Renaissance. He is also the founder of DeepRead, a program dedicated to educating leaders through literature and the humanities.

Luzzi's literary work encompasses both scholarly research and personal narrative. His first book, "Romantic Europe and the Ghost of Italy," received the Scaglione Prize for Italian Studies from the Modern Language Association of America and was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. His book "A Cinema of Poetry: Aesthetics of the Italian Art Film" was a finalist for "The Bridge" Book Award from the American Initiative for Italian Culture Foundation. His memoir, "In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love," became a Vanity Fair Must-Read and has been translated into multiple languages. "Botticelli's Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance" was a New Yorker Best Books selection and was shortlisted for the Phi Beta Kappa Ralph Waldo Emerson Award. Luzzi authored "Dante's Divine Comedy: A Biography," which explores the reception of Dante's masterpiece, one of the most influential religious books.

"In a Dark Wood" draws on a profound personal challenge in Luzzi's life. On a November morning, Luzzi found himself racing to the hospital after his wife, Katherine, eight-and-a-half months pregnant, was in a serious car accident. In one moment, he became both a widower and a first-time father. Turning to "The Divine Comedy," a poem he had devoted his career to studying and teaching, Luzzi found a path to rebuild his life. This story of loss, resilience, and the transformative power of literature has resonated with readers and contributed to ongoing conversations about the relevance of the humanities.

An active critic and cultural commentator, Luzzi's essays and reviews appear in the New York Times, Times Literary Supplement, and Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. His media appearances include a profile in the Guardian and an interview with National Public Radio. His honors include a Dante Society of America essay prize, Yale College teaching prize, a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholars Award, and fellowships from the National Humanities Center and Yale's Whitney Humanities Center. Luzzi created the Virtual Book Club, an international online community of readers dedicated to exploring contemporary writing and literary classics. He has presented worldwide on literature, art, film, and the impact of the humanities.